Is CM Punk a legend? Or a liability? That’s answered in this article, however here SeaWorthinessRoyal29 re-books CM Punk’s ‘Summer of Punk’.
The lead-up to Money in The Bank 2011, in my opinion, could be WWE’s best one-month build they’ve ever done. The subsequent match lived up to this hot storyline as CM Punk vs John Cena is an all-time classic and one of my personal favourite matches of all time. The image of CM Punk blowing Vince McMahon a kiss while holding the WWE Championship, then proceeding to “walk out of the company”, is written in the wrestling mythos.
The Summer of Punk was off to a hot start, but then CM Punk’s big walk-out of the company turned into a week off. After CM Punk’s return, the Summer of Punk turned into a confusing mess that involved Del Rio as WWE Champion, Triple H being a not well-liked leader, and Kevin Nash, for some reason.
The Pipebomb, as well as Money In The Bank 2011, brought back many lapsed fans and a better Summer of Punk could’ve done a lot to retain that interest, past that faithful night in Chicago.
The Summer of Punk:
Everything Leading up to Money in The Bank 2011 remains the same.
Aftermath of Money In The Bank 2011:
On the RAW following CM Punk’s walkout in Chicago the same thing happens as in real life, Cena gets fired for failing to defeat Punk, and a tournament is set up to crown a new WWE Champion.
The following week on RAW Rey Mysterio wins the tournament final against the Miz however, prior to that Cena is rehired and it’s announced that the tournament will instead conclude at Summerslam where it’ll be John Cena vs Rey Mysterio for the vacant title.
Cena in the build tells Rey that he respects him and that he’s a legend but that he needs to win that title back.
Rey tells John that he’s not gonna let this opportunity go to waste and he will win the WWE Championship for the first time to cement his legacy.
Meanwhile Punk is defending the title all around the World. He goes to Ring Of Honor and successfully defends it against Kevin Steen and Claudio Castagnoli. He defends it against Adam Pearce in NWA.
A report is put out in the dirt sheets about WWE’s lawyers filing a lawsuit against CM Punk for bringing the WWE title to these other promotions.
Summerslam August 14, 2011:
WWE Championship With Triple H as Special Guest Referee: Rey Mysterio (c) def John Cena; 24:08
Triple H is added as Special Guest Referee to give the Main Event an extra bit of importance.
Rey is the underdog for this match as Cena is still a babyface but is underestimating Rey a little bit, making him come off as a little cocky.
Later in the match Cena is dominating Rey and looks to have him beat. He’s taunting Rey and is telling him to get up in the ring when what sounds like TV static blares twice through the arena. Cena looks toward the stage for a second then turns his attention back towards Rey, he goes to lift him up for the AA but, Rey reverses out of it and hits a 619 on John.
Rey then nails the frog splash as the crowd erupts. Rey covers but Cena powers out at 2.99 to the stun of the crowd and Rey Mysterio. Rey looks to Cena and climbs up to the top rope to hit another Frog splash.
He goes for the Frog Splash but Cena rolls out of the way and lifts Rey up for an AA. He hits it but, Rey gets his foot on the rope to stop the pin at 2.
Cena desperately goes to set Rey up on the top rope to hit an Avalanche Attitude Adjustment. He’s got Rey perched up high. However, as he’s about to hit him Rey fights out and knocks Cena back down to the ground, he then nails a stunned Cena with a sunset flip from the top rope to roll his shoulders to the mat and get a stun win to finally become WWE Champion.
Rey celebrates with the Championship in the ring as confetti falls down. Cena then gets up and shakes Rey’s hand and raises it, before leaving the ring.
As Rey is celebrating he is nailed in the back of the head with the Money In The Bank Briefcase.
WWE Championship: Alberto Del Rio def Rey Mysterio (c); 0:08
Alberto Del Rio screws over Rey in his big moment cashing in Money In The Bank to close out Summerslam as WWE Champion.
Aftermath of Summerslam:
On the next night on RAW, Del Rio is having a celebration for his newly won WWE Championship.
While this is happening Rey Mysterio comes down to the ring and interrupts. Rey tells Del Rio that “In 2006 at Wrestlemania 22 he won the World Heavyweight Championship in a moment that was a dream come true for him. I wasn’t the strongest of champions as I got my ass kicked for most of my reign and in the end, I felt like I didn’t do it justice and maybe I continued to not do the title and those who believed in me justice because I didn’t fight hard enough to get it back.
It took me four long years to become world champion again, and last year I felt like I was finally starting to do all my believers justice when I was cashed in on by Kane and lost the World Heavyweight Championship just like that. I could be mad at Kane all I wanted but I still felt like I let people down again because perhaps I didn’t fight hard enough to get the title back.
So congratulations champ, but I’m not gonna stop fighting you until I’m the champ again.”
A brawl begins in the ring which ends with Del Rio getting the upper hand, however Cena runs down to the ring and makes the save. Rey and Cena just stare each other down in the ring with Rey looking a little upset that Cena is getting involved in his business.
At Night Of Champions a Triple Threat is made for The WWE Championship, John Cena vs Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio.
CM Punk Successfully defends the WWE Championship at Death Before Dishonor IX against Roderick Strong.
Night Of Champions September 18, 2011:
Triple Threat Match For The WWE Championship: Rey Mysterio def John Cena and Alberto Del Rio (c); 24:10
John Cena says he needs to win the WWE Championship to fix the damage he’s caused.
At the end of the Match Cena hits the AA on Del Rio and pins him but Rey breaks it up and tosses John out of the ring. He then goes to hit the 619 but Del Rio catches him and goes to hit a powerbomb but Rey gets out and rolls him up.
Del Rio kicks out at two before Rey this time gets him in position for a 619 hits it and then a frog splash to get the 1..2…3 and once again win the WWE Championship. Cena barely didn’t get up in time to break the pin.
Aftermath of Night of Champions:
John Cena the next night on RAW congratulates Rey Mysterio but tells everyone that he is quitting WWE and says that the company and the fans have found a new face of the company in Rey and that his actions over the last few months have cause WWE to be put in a huge lawsuit with CM Punk, as well as made it so the WWE Championship is being paraded around in other promotions.
John says that his best days are behind him and that he should just call it quits while he’s on top. Cena places his armband and his hat in the ring and leaves.
Del Rio and Mysterio continue feuding over the WWE Championship with them having a one-on-one match inside Hell In A Cell at Hell In a Cell for the title.
Miz and R-Truth get fired for the same reasons they get fired IRL.
Hell in a Cell October 2, 2011:
Hell in a Cell Match for The WWE Championship: Alberto Del Rio w/ Ricardo Rodriguez def Rey Mysterio (c); 24:09
These two have a pretty standard Hell in a Cell match for a time period where every Hell in a Cell match felt the same and was nothing special.
Rey starts the match normally trying to get his usual flurry of offense but eventually Rey loses his cool and starts to use the cell as well as weapons found under the ring.
Eventually later in the match both men are down and that’s when a disgruntled Miz and R-Truth run down to create chaos, much as they did in the WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match IRL.
They break into the cage and lay out both men before Triple H has them removed and arrested.
With the cage opened Ricardo Rodriguez runs in through the open door and places a pair of brass knuckles in the hand of a downed Alberto Del Rio.
Both men get to their feet at the same time with Rey going for the first strike and attempting a hurricanrana into the ropes.
Rey with Del Rio proned against the middle rope looks to dial up his patented 619.
He goes for it but Del Rio catches him in the motion and bonks him on the head with the Brass knuckles. He drags Rey to the middle of the ring and pins him 1..2..3 to become a two-time WWE Champion.
Aftermath of Hell in a Cell:
At some point in October, Cena attends a Dragon Gate Show that CM Punk is scheduled to be on.
Punk notices John in the crowd. The crowd goes nuts for this.
He tells John that he knew he had gotten under John’s skin but he never thought that he’d be the one to break John Cena.
Punk says me and you are the same, we both walked out on WWE.
Cena hops the barricade and gets in the ring and grabs a mic. These two go back and forth for 20 minutes throwing jabs at each other.
Cena says that he left because he’d given everything he had to the company and there was nothing left for him to do and the one thing that is left for him is The Rock at Wrestlemania – a duty which he still intends to fulfill.
But Punk left because he knew he wasn’t good enough to be the guy and it made him sick so he threw a tantrum and stole something that didn’t belong to him.
Punk tells Cena that “The WWE is better for him not being there as we finally get to see new faces in the main event of PPVs. Cena you weren’t getting your way and you realized you were past your prime so you walked out, how exactly does that make you better than me?
Whether you want to acknowledge it or not Cena I still have an argument to call myself and to walk around as The WWE Champion, as a matter of fact I’ve fought all over the world and defended this title. What have you won since I left John?
Just hang up your boots John because you’re not, nor have you ever been the Best in The World like CM Punk.
Cena heard enough and so he picked up Punk and hits him with an AA to loud boos from the crowd. Cena then proceeds to be escorted out by security.
Meanwhile in WWE, Del Rio and Rey are gonna have one more match at Vengeance – this time Last Man Standing and if Rey loses he can no longer challenge for the WWE Championship.
Triple H also recruits an old friend of his in Kevin Nash to fight against the Miz and R-Truth at Vengeance.
Vengeance October 23, 2011:
The Awesome Truth def Triple H and Kevin Nash; 15:24
Simple Tag Match, The Miz wins by pinning Kevin Nash, making the Awesome Truth look strong going into Survivor Series and making Triple H need to find a new partner to take them down.
Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship (If Rey loses he can no longer challenge for the title): Alberto Del Rio (c) w/ Ricardo Rodriguez def Rey Mysterio; 27:04
These two beat the hell out of each other with Rey refusing to go down due to it being his last chance.
Rey puts on a very strong underdog performance taking so much punishment but still getting to his feet over and over again.
Eventually Del Rio starts to target Rey’s feet hitting them with Steel Chairs making it so Rey physically can’t stand. After attacking his legs Del Rio, exhausted, waits for the ten count. However, it looks as if Rey is starting to stir and is gonna get up prior to the count of ten.
As Rey stumbles up to a knee Del Rio stops this effort by nailing him with the Championship Belt across the head, knocking Rey out and retaining the WWE Title for Del Rio.
Aftermath of Vengeance:
On the night after Vengeance, Alberto Del Rio is in the ring gloating about being WWE Champion when COO Triple H comes out and says that he shouldn’t be gloating to much before he finds out who is opponent at Survivor Series will be.
Triple H says “It’s someone who has been gone for many weeks. Someone who has the right to claim at being the face of the WWE. Someone who at any time because of what he’s done has a claim at the WWE Title. The voice of the people, his name is chanted in arenas throughout the world. Ladies and Gentlemen, he’s back. Jooooooohn Cena.”
The crowd should be fully chanting CM Punk then erupt in boos when Cena’s music hits. The fans are gonna have to wait a little bit longer for that CM Punk return.
Cena runs down to the ring and AA’s Del Rio. Before saying into the camera that the Best in The World is back.
Later in that same night when getting confronted by The Awesome Truth Triple H announces that the Rock will be his tag team partner at Survivor Series.
Survivor Series November 20, 2011:
WWE Championship: John Cena def Alberto Del Rio (c) w/ Ricardo Rodriguez; 17:14
Basic John Cena style match – takes punishment for the majority of it but hulks up towards the end before locking in the STF and making Del Rio tap out to win the WWE Championship.
After the match Cena celebrates with the WWE Championship and says into the camera that “Look who’s champion now Punk and mines actually recognized. Good luck in court pal.” (Referring to the fact that in Kayfabe WWE is suing Punk for carrying around the Championship.
The Rock and Triple H def The Awesome Truth; 21:33
Same match as real life just replace John Cena with Triple H. Rock pins Miz after a people’s elbow.
After the match The Rock and Triple H are celebrating when John Cena’s music hits.
Cena comes down to the ring and the new WWE Champion goes face to face with The Rock. The Rock tells Cena that he hopes Cena holds that title until their match because at WrestleMania as he wants to come for that title too.
The crowd begins chanting CM Punk after plenty of online speculation that he would be returning at Survivor Series.
As the Rock and Cena continue to stare at each other and The Game tries to keep the peace. Two sounds of static blasts through the Arena and Cult of Personality begins to play.
A lot of the crowd already recognizes this as CM Punk as this is the theme that he was using while out of WWE the last few months. The rest of the crowd realizes it when the name CM Punk appears on the titantron.
The MSG crowd erupts as the voice of the voiceless and the man who feels as if he’s the Real WWE Champion returns after 4 long months. It is a crowd reaction that rivals that of which he had for his entrance in Chicago at Money In The Bank.
Punk gets in the ring with his WWE Title and goes face to face with John Cena who turns his attention from the Rock to Punk and they both hold up their Championships. The Rock, John Cena and Triple H are all in the ring to close Survivor Series yet, CM Punk is the one with the crowd in the palm of his hands and everyone chanting his name.
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